SCAPA FLOW ON MV VALHALLA

From 2-7 September 2018 (diving days) I was luckily enough to be diving in Scapa Flow with Orkney and Shetland Charters, owned and run by Helen and Hazel, on their newest vessel MV Valhalla.  The group consisted of 12 like mind divers, all on CCR or twinsets with one aim; dive the hell out of the place.

So why Scapa Flow?

From the Orkney and Shetland Charters website…

Scapa Flow is a huge natural harbour formed within the Orkney Islands with over 140 square miles of comparatively calm water within its bounds.  Used in both world wars as protection for the British Fleet, the islands became home to tens of thousands of service personnel. At the signing of the armistice the German fleet was interred with skeleton crews at Scapa until its fate could be decided.  Admiral von Reuter mistakenly believed war was about to break out, so on the 19th June 1919 he gave the order for the fleet to be scuttled.  This was carried out swiftly while the British guarding ships were out on exercise and could not stop them. In the end 51 ships went to the bottom of Scapa Flow, others were run aground to prevent them sinking.

Post war salvage raised most of the ships for scrap, but seven remain submerged forever in the waters of Scapa Flow.

Scapa Flow is one of the jewels in the crown of UK scuba diving.  The remains of the German Fleet still lie in the flow, heavily protected from any sort of salvage or interference by divers.  Their legacy is some of the best scuba diving in the world, the behemoths of the battleships rising from 45m to 22m, guns pointing into the green, seemingly on eternal patrol.  The stricken cruisers on their sides, their superstructures slowly falling to the seabed after nearly 100 years underwater.  All of the WWI German wrecks lie approximately 50 minutes from the port of Stromness.  All have a shotline on them.  Maximum depths to the seabed is around 44m.  Least depth to the seabed is around 12m.

So why Orkney and Shetland Charters, and in particular MV Valhalla?

On my previous Scapa trip the entire group that I was with were less than blown away with the boat we used and all vowed that next time around we would only go for the best, hence Orkney and Shetland Charters as they had won the Sport Diver Award for Best Liveaboard in 2014 and Best Runner Up in 2016 for MV Valkyrie.  Because of this I actually booked MV Valkyrie for a trip in 2016 but had to pull out at the last minute due to a military deployment, but, on that trip others from the group were shown around (the then work in progress) MV Valhalla and were so impressed that they booked this trip there and then, and the rest they say is history.  

From the Orkney and Shetland Charters website…

The Valhalla was built for the Royal Navy as RNAS Loyal Factor but was quickly converted into a patrol boat and commissioned as HMS Vigilant to serve in Northern Ireland where she remained until the 1990s when she was handed back to the RNAS (Royal Naval Auxiliary Service) and served as the training vessel Sultan Venturer for the Naval engineering school in Gosport. Purchased in 2012 5 years was spent converting her into a purposeful, go anywhere, vessel.

The Valhalla has 6 cabins; 5 of these are on the lower deck, each with twin bunks and en-suite shower and washbasin and 1 cabin with twin bunks and an adjacent toilet and shower on the main deck.  A spacious lounge and inside changing room with charging area, make up the rest of the forward accommodation, while a galley and mess are situated towards the stern.

The reality is that she is indeed, a great diving platform.  The accommodation as expected is tight but spot on.  Each room has its own en-suite shower and basin (less room 1 which shares with the toilet), storage shelves and cubby holes, and ample charging facilities.  If further storage is required the big bags can be stored on the shelving provided in the lower corridor.  

There are however a few observations:

·CCR scrubber bench.  There is only the one on board, so if there are a number of CCRs this may be an issue?

·Cameras.  The boat could do with a dunk tank for cameras, but we improvised and it worked for the week.

·Briefs.  Very detailed, but done old school on a whiteboard.  With the TV setup inside this could be monitored.  

·Hazel.  Looks scary/grumpy (sorry), but in fact is a gentle giant and a fantastic skipper with loads of knowledge and is passionate about what she does.  

And then there’s the legendary food.  What can I say?  It tastes great, and there’s so much of it at meal times.  Not to mention the Tea, coffee and biscuits that are always out and always waiting for you post dive.

I’ve no pictures; sorry, however a short video of the trip can be found below... 

...or on Vimeo.

Summary

If you’ve not dived Scapa before then I can thoroughly recommend it; the wrecks, the history, the location, it’s simply amazing and the loss ass drive from down south is certainly worth it.  If you do intend to visit then you can’t go far wrong with either Helen & Hazel on Valkyrie or Valhalla.

The boring bit!

All opinions expressed in my articles are my own and may differ to other instructor’s and agency guidelines; by no means are they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute any of them.  This article is for information only and should not replace proper training.

Safe diving!

Timothy Gort

BSAC, PADI & SDI/TDI diver training

l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l